South Alabama Living

Fall 2010

First edition

Inside the

SCHERFF MANSION DeJuan Stroud’s

FEARLESS FLOWERS

Almost an

AMERICAN IDOL www.southalabamalivingmag.com

Unexpected technology

Perhaps you wouldn’t expect the U.S. military to send its helicopters to a small town to have them updated with the latest technology.

It happens every day in Andalusia.

We are proud to be the home of Vector Aerospace, which recently announced it will double its operation here.

Join us in Andalusia and you’ll learn to expect the unexpected.

City of Andalusia www.cityofandalusia.com

4 south alabama living

contents fall 2010

EDITORIAL Michele Gerlach Editor Stephanie Nelson Kendra Bolling Shanda Beste Bob Brooks

ADVERTISING Ruck Ashworth Marketing director Jill Prevett Marketing consultant Jason Killingsworth Marketing consultant PRODUCTION Erin Johnson Creative Director

Fearless flowers, Page 26.

Summer abroad, Page 31.

Dream house, Page 21.

welcome Welcome to South Alabama Living, a new, quarterly magazine focusing on the people, events and places in Covington County and South Alabama that make it a special place to live..

The production of this premiere edition has taken us to many places - to the woods, to the city, and inside one of the finest homes in South Alabama. Each time, we’ve left excited about the treasures of our community, the people in it, and the prospect of sharing these things with our readers.

We hope you’ll be inspired to share your stories and photographs with us, and come along as we celebrate South Alabama Living..

PHOTOGRAPHY Robert Evers Robert Evers Productions www.robertevers.smugmug.com Nutcracker is set for Dec. 10-12.

Page 8.

South Alabama Living is published four times per year by Andalusia Newspapers, Inc. PO Box 430 Andalusia, AL 36420 www.southalabamalivingmag.com (334) 222-2402

Fall 2010

First edition

Advertising rates and information available upon request. Subscriptions are $16 annually. Please make checks payable to Andalusia Newspapers, Inc., PO Box 430, Andalusia, AL 36420.

Andalusia’s star vocalist was almost an Idol.

Page 17.

Searching for the elusive Big Foot.

Page 33.

Inside the

SCHERFF MANSION DeJuan Stroud’s

FEARLESS FLOWERS

Almost an

AMERICAN IDOL www.southalabamalivingmag.com

Cover photograph

by ROBERT EVERS

6 south alabama living

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8 south alabama living

what to do

10/30 - OppFest A juried art show, arts and crafts and live entertainment are part of this annual, all-day street festival in Opp.

12/2 – Opp Christmas Parade, 7 p.m.

11/14 – Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company The Covington Arts Council presents a visually-stunning blend of traditional and contemporary Chinese Dance. The performance is at 2 p.m. in the Dixon Center for the Performing Arts, Andalusia campus of LBWCC. Tickets are $15.

12/4 – Pilot Club Pancake and Sausage Day, and Andalusia BPW Christmas Bazaar and Craft Show. Kiwanis Community Center.

5:30 a.m.-noon.

12/2 – Alabama Wildlife Federation Covington County Wild Game Cook-Off Covington Center Arena, 6 p.m. Contact: Hunter Grimes, 222-3123.

12/3 – Andalusia Christmas Parade, “A North Pole Fantasy,” 7 p.m.

12/5 – Andalusia Luncheon Pilot’s Club Christmas Tour of Homes Location: Homes of Drs. Allen and Kim Ward, Norma Riley Goolsby, George and Patricia (Sister) Barnes, and Lindsay Reeves. Homes will be open from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Tickets are $12.

12/10-12/12 – The Nutcracker The Andalusia Ballet will present its traditional performance of Nutcracker. Members of the Andalusia Ballet Association receive complimentary tickets for Opening Night and an invitation to the annual gala immediately following the performance. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 10 ($25 tickets); 7:30 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 11 ($12 tickets); and 2:30 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 12 ($12 tickets).

01/18 – Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet Former University of Alabama football player Siran Stacey will be the guest speaker for this event. Kiwanis Community Center. The event begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for members; $35 for non-members.

regional events 11/12 – Monroeville Fruitcake Festival Third annual festival celebrating Truman Capote and the Southern fruitcake made famous by Sook and Buddy in “A Christmas Memory.” 251575-7433.

For a closer look at Truman Capote’s Monroeville years, read Andalusia native Marianne M. Moates’ “Truman Capote’s Southern Years.”

10/29 – 11/6 - 66th Annual National Peanut Festival 5622 U.S. Hwy. 231 S., Dothan.

Livestock exhibits, competitions, crafts, food preservation, recipe contests, entertainment, carnival rides and much more. Admission charged.

11/6 - Cane Syrup Makin' Day Rikard's Mill, between Monroeville and Camden on Hwy. 265. Enjoy biscuits and syrup and watch a 19th-century mule-driven cane mill and furnace make cane syrup as in the olden days.

Barbecue available. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Admission charged.

11/9 - Fannie Flagg in Fairhope Join Miss Flagg for “An Evening of Dreams” at the Fairhope Civic Center, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. In the spirit of her latest book, “I Still Dream About You,” pageant dresses, crowns and sashes are encouraged, but optional. Pre-signed books will be available for purchase.

11/2, 11/4-6, 11/11-13 "Come Home, It's Suppertime," Brundidge We Piddle Around Theater - Alabama's "Official Folklife Play” tells stories of ordinary people during the Great Depression of the 1930s. 7 p.m. -10 p.m. Admission charged. Tickets usually sell out early. 334-735-3125.

11/13-14 - Mobile Renaissance Faire Eat, drink and be merry while being entertained by jousting knights, magical wizards, jugglers, musical minstrels, Gypsy dancers, pirates, and more. Also

enjoy Renaissance Merchants’ camel and pony rides, games of skill, Medieval food and drinks. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds. Admission charged.

11/25-11/26 - 40th Annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow Poarch Creek Indian Reservation near Atmore. Dance competition, crowning of the princess, intertribal dancing, food, and craft vendors. Gates open at 9 a.m. Admission charged.

11/26 - The Iron Bowl Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa.

1/28 - Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival We Piddle Around Theater, Brundidge.

Featuring nationally acclaimed storytellers Donald Davis, Kathryn Tucker Windham and Barbara McBride Smith.

6:30 p.m. 334-735-3125.

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news + notes

Entertaining weekend set for Homecoming 2010 Street Dance Pre-show begins at 6 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 12, with “Smoke and Lace,� Tambry Nix, vocalist, with her band Scott Rogers and Phillip McClung. The “Perfect Image Band� will play from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Located behind CenturyTel and the old Andala Building on Tisdale Street.

There are four days of exciting events planned for Absolutely Andalusia, Homecoming 2010. Here’s a peek at what to expect.

Front Porch Tour Residents of the J.W. Shreve Addition Historic District invite residents to stroll through their neighborhood from noon until 3 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 11.

The District includes parts of East Three Notch Street, two blocks on 6th Avenue from East 3 Notch down to 2nd Street, and two blocks on College Street from Oak Street to 5th Avenue. Refreshments will be served.

Andalusia in Revue Sue Bass Wilson and Paula

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Sue Duebelt will stage a history of Andalusia at 7 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 11, in the Dixon Theatre on the LBWCC campus.

Absolutely Andalusia – Then and Now – A Gallery of Art Local artists have painted scenes of Andalusia – either as it is now or as it was in the earlier days. Booklets in which the art has been reproduced will be available for $12.50 each.

Visit at LAAC’s new location at 116 E. Three Notch Street., 10

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Veterans Day The Veterans Day parade will begin at 9 a.m. on Thurs., Nov. 11, at Andalusia High School, travel Third Avenue onto East Three Notch Street before ending at Veteran’s Memorial Park, where a program is planned. A reception will follow.

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a.m. until 6 p.m. Thurs. – Sat., Nov. 11-13.

Quilt Show Local quilters will display their work at Johnson Park.

Thurs., Nov. 11, noon – 5 p.m.; 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Fri. and Sat., Nov. 12 and 13.

The Stories We Tell The Andalusia Public Library will host local authors for a book signing and sales. Fri., Nov. 12, 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

Air Show The South Alabama Regional Airport (SARA) and David Schultz Airshows will stage an airshow on Sat., Nov. 13. Gates open at 9 a.m. 5K at 9:30.

Opening ceremonies begin at 12:15 p.m.

Gala The Kiwanis Community Center will be transformed for this event, featuring Andalusia natives Alexa Jones and Charlie Thompson. Jones, a former Miss Alabama, will emcee.

Thompson is a humorist and motivational speaker. Tickets are $30.

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Andalusia Ballet Association Association, n, Inc. ~ PP.O. ..O. #1736 ~ 1216 East Threee Notch Street ~ Andalusia, ALL 36420 ~ 334-222-6620 ~ www www.andalusiaballet.com .andalusiaballlet.com

Standing Up for Main Street I’m running for State Representative because Main Streets across Alabama are struggling, families and seniors are having a hard time getting by, and jobs are getting tougher to find. I’ll bring common sense and business sense to Montgomery and work to create jobs, improve our schools, and keep our Main Street businesses open.

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REPRESENTATIVE Paid political ad by Committee to Elect David Darby, 1001 Stratford Court, Andalusia, AL 36420

south alabama living

11

south alabama scene UNFORGETTABLE (1) Johnny and Nan Brewer (left) hosted the VIP reception for the Lurleen B. Wallace Foundation summer fundraiser in their stylish home. (2) Frank and Melissa Henderson, (3) Jim and Holly Krudop and (4) David and Laura Darby were among the patrons who enjoyed a cocktail buffet poolside before enjoying “Nat King Cole – As I Know Him,” highlighting the life and songs of the musician who was born in Montgomery and grew up in Chicago. (5) The poolside setting was perfect for the late summer evening event, (below, left) where (6) Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson and Andy Cable owner Ivan Bishop (below, right) found an opportunity to catch up.

PHOTOS BY MICHELE GERLACH

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south alabama scene HAY FIELD SHRIMP BOIL (1) Jo and Marcus Kelley hosted a hay field shrimp boil for the Covington County arts community. Each artist was asked to bring a piece of current work, and after dining al fresco, the group enjoyed an impromptu art show. (2) Katherine Grantham shared a mask she created from a gourd. (3) Supper was a traditional low-country boil. (4) Roger LeCompte, Dot Burkett (hidden), Ruta Prescott and Flossie Durkee enjoy supper.

PHOTOS BY MICHELE GERLACH

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south alabama scene ART OFF THE WALL Art Off the Wall, the annual fundraiser for the Lower Alabama Arts Coalition and the Covington Arts Council, was held in September. (1) Dr. Allan Ward and Dr. Kim Ward. (2) Sue and Ward Taylor. (3) Cathy and Roger Powell. Roger later reappeared as “Ricky Peterson,” in a standup comedy routine.

(4) Rick and Linda Kyle with Doty Henderson. (5) Among the entertainers was the young band, including (from left) Katherine Dean, Daniel Henderson, Cal McCalman, James Albritton and Chris Evans.

PHOTOS BY MICHELE GERLACH

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south alabama living

south alabama scene

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HERITAGE BANQUET The Southwest District Association and Women’s Convention recently held a Heritage Banquet on the Opp campus of LBW. The program included a skit, “African American Women - Our Heritage from the Slave Woman to the Free Woman.”

Attire was African dress wear. (1) Catherine Johnson, Martha Smith and Louise Shakespeare as missionary sisters. (2) Mietta Hammond as Oprah WInfrey, Dorise Pryor as Mae C. Jemison, and Eva Giles as Coretta Scott King. (3) Mattie Freeney was among the presenters. (4) Teressa Maines. (5) Thelma Thomas. (6) Karen Banks.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

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south alabama scene BALLET PATRONS GO BACK TO ‘20s

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© 2010 Merle Norman Cosmetics, Inc.

The Andalusia Ballet opened its 28th anniversary season at the Andalusia Country Club decked out as a “Speakeasy” for the Roaring 20s-themed event. (1) Jennifer Taylor and Hannah Merrell. (2) Lakin Thornton, Cameron Morgan and Taylor 4 Donaldson were among the dancers performing.

(3) Andalusia Ballet Association president Beth Weed and Ken Odom. (4) ABA board member Kathy McMillan.

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almost an

idol audition, feedback build musician’s confidence ambry Nix is busy. She commutes daily to DeFuniak Springs, where she works as an elementary teacher; is in graduate school; has a part-time job; cares for her 3-year-old son.

That she’s a juggler never comes through when she takes the stage, looking as comfortable as she can be, mesmerizing the audience with her soulful voice.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” she said, adding that the busy life is what she has to do now.

That almost changed this summer

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when she auditioned for American Idol, first in Nashville and then in New Orleans.

“I’ve always wanted to try out for American Idol,” she said. When she learned they were auditioning in Nashville this past summer, she loaded up a friend and headed north.

On the night before she was to join the “cattle call” in Idol lingo, the two went out to enjoy Nashville’s nightlife. They asked about cool places to sing karaoke and learned about Wanna B’s.

Forty-five minutes into an estimated

90-minute wait to sing, she was considering leaving when there were interesting arrivals.

“These people walked in, and they looked important. I could tell they weren’t from there. I thought, ‘What the heck, you never know.’ ” So she waited for her turn and sang Carrie Underwood’s Cowboy Casanova. Five minutes later, she was approached by one of the interesting-looking people.

And then the Idol producer said See TAMBRY Page 18

story by michele gerlach • photo by robert evers

18 south alabama living TAMBRY, Continued from Page 17

something that was music to her ears.

“Would you rather stand in line to audition Saturday or come early tomorrow?”

Early was great, and the scene was just like TV. She waited with 30 other people. When Tambry’s name was finally called, she was in a room with a camera and three producers, one of whom was Simon Fuller.

She was nervous.

“I think it showed,” she said.

She was told the producers liked her voice, but weren’t sure she had “star quality.”

“As I was walking off the stage, heard one of them say, ‘And I really hate that because she’s got a lot of star potential.’ ” In Nashville, she made it to the third level of AI auditions. With lots of local encouragement, including fundraising help from WAAO, she decided to try again in New Orleans, where she had to start at the first level

of auditions, which means getting an armband and waiting your turn. She got another break when she made friends with a security guard and told him she’d really like to try out for the woman who’d approached her in Nashville.

Next thing she knew, he’d called over someone to help.

“He takes me and puts me next in line to go with her,” she said. “And there were like 6,000 people in front of me. Everything was falling place.”

The woman remembered and liked her. Tambry got a gold ticket.

At the next level, auditions were in a conference room in the hotel and the number of potential Idol candidates had been cut from 8,000 to 150.

“You have a good voice, a strong voice, but it’s just not what we’re looking for this year,” Tambry recalls being told.

“Everybody who was picked was super unique-looking,” she said.

“They were attractive people, just different looking.”

The experience helped build her confidence, she said.

“I guess what I learned that I’m a lot better than I thought I was. I took what they said and I’m gonna work with that,” she said.

She knows if she had more time to pursue it, she could perform more regionally than she does now.

“I’m just so busy now. I have to do what I have to do for me and Carter.”

She’s performing throughout Andalusia’s Homecoming 2010 events and frequently sings on local stages.

What if a fairy godmother appeared with a magic wand? What would she wish for?

“That my music would just take off all of a sudden, and I could skip over the whole singing in the bar sort of thing,” she said. “Or maybe even that the right people would come in to my path.” ■

19 south alabama living

alma’s star

It was quite by accident that Alma Bodiford created her very own Confederate rose

story by kendra bolling • courtesy photos

Alma’s Star may not light up the night sky, but it’s proven to be a bright spot in Alma Bodiford’s life.

Bodiford created Alma’s Star, her very own Confederate rose, quite by accident in 1997. Unlike most Confederate roses, Alma’s Star will stay alive in a vase for a week and the bloom will remain open for four or five days.

The shrub has large pink flowers that consist of five double blooms bundled into one large bud, and blooms from late summer until the first hard freeze.

Thirteen years after she made the discovery, Bodiford, now ailing, said the flower has given her happiness through her time of sickness.

Bodiford said Alma’s Star has proven to be a gift from God as she overcame health issues during the process of receiving a patent for her discovery, which she finalized only recently.

Bodiford has had brain surgery, a pacemaker inserted and fights an ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.

“After my brain surgery, I had to

learn to walk and talk all over again,” she said.

Alma’s Star has not only given the Luverne resident and Covington County Master Gardener something to look forward to during her time of illness, but also another amazing gift.

“It’s something nice I can share with people,” she said.

The discovery came as a surprise to Bodiford, who said she planted the roots differently than she had ever done before.

“I cut some cuttings from all of my See ALMA Page 20

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ALMA, Continued from Page 19

jar and rooted them,” she said. “That spring, Calvin (her husband) dug a big hole and we put all of them in the hole.”

Bodiford said to her surprise that fall, there was “a sprout” that had one big bloom, unlike anything she had ever seen.

“I thought, ‘Oh, my God what have I got?’ “ she said.

So, she called on a botanist friend from Brewton and asked him to come and see if she had something new.

“He came, and he was so excited,” she said. “I said, ‘Daryl, what will I do with it?’ ” “He told me to register it with the Hibiscus Society of America, and the process took about a year for them to accept,” she said.

“If we would have pulled the roots apart, we wouldn’t have had this,” she said.

Bodiford is convinced this is God’s gift to her.

“I’ve tried to do it again,” she said.

“But I just can’t. God had his hand in this.

I give Him all the credit.”

Bodiford then decided to have her flower patented, which is a lengthy process.

“I had never talked to anyone who had a patent,” she said. “They make you count every petal, all the scallops around the edge of the leaf – everything.”

Bodiford said in order to get a patent, one must cut the plant and root it to see if it produces the same plant for 10 years.

Bodiford found instant success when The Luverne Journal published an article about her.

“I received 1,000 orders,” she said. “I took every order, thinking it would be 10 or 12 at the most. When I got done, I said, ‘I can’t fill all of these myself.’ ” Bodiford took her plant and the articles written about Alma’s Star to Southern Growers in Montgomery and met with Bill Cook, the company’s vice president.

“He said he’d take it,” she said. “This

was a big deal for me. We went ahead with the patent.”

Bodiford recently received it, and Alma’s Star is all across the South from Texas to Virginia and West Virginia.

Bodiford said the discovery has given her more than she’s ever imagined.

“I can’t tell you how much I’ve made from this,” she said. “But, the people I’ve touched is a greater reward.

“If I can help someone along the way, I sure will,” she said. “God is still in command.”■

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When the City of Andalusia bought the historic Springdale Estate, it preserved one man’s finely-crafted testament to

t he american dream stories by shanda beste • photos by robert evers

Former Andalusia Mayor John G. Scherf, a German immigrant, not only lived the American dream, he also brought it to life for many in the place he called home.

he story of Springdale Estate has its beginnings once upon a time in the early 1900s, when 19-year-old John G. Scherf, immigrated to the U.S. from Germany with nothing more than his meager personal belongings. Educated as a lawyer and civil engineer and able to

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speak seven languages, he would revolutionize the small South Alabama town where he planted deep roots.

Scherf built an empire as the head of Alatex and Andala Industries, which at one point employed more than 3,500 area See DREAM page 22

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about springdale Commissioned by John G. Scherf Sr. in the early 1930s, Springdale Estate is a 5,630 sq. ft. home, featuring six bedrooms, and five-and-a-half baths. There also is a 700 sq. ft. guesthouse on the 3.8-acre estate in the heart of Andalusia.

The home features an unusual collage of tile styles, and each bedroom’s fireplace features its own unique theme. A tile-encased stairway leads down into the 425 sq. ft. basement with a wine cellar, boiler room, Scherf’s former darkroom, the modern-use laundry room and a bedroom with its own bath and fireplace.

Outside, there is a meat cellar, complete with walk-in refrigeration and freezer units, built into the side of a more than 6-foot-tall landscape berm.

Another marker of a bygone era is the estate’s laundry house located behind the four-car garage. This brick room with concrete floors houses a three-foot metal sink basin constructed over a wood stove for heating water followed by three separate sink rinse stations and a linen press in the adjoining storage room.

The back side of the garage is an area known as the “dollhouse” which Scherf built as a playroom for his daughter, Aurelia.

During a tour of the home, current Mayor Earl Johnson pointed out some of the historical and progressive original features of the home, namely the two hall closets, that have a mechanical switch that turns the closet light on when the door is opened and off when it is closed. Most homes 75 years after this home’s construction don’t have such luxury, and this home was built when few homes in the area had electricity and many didn’t even have running water.

The property proudly showcases the state flower, the camellia, along with azaleas, exemplary short leaf pines, prestigious oaks and pecan, wild honeysuckle and muscadine vines that adorn a concrete arbor… all characteristic, exemplary and gracious native flora that welcome any Southerner home.

The elegant home’s fine Old World craftsmanship, blended seamlessly with still modern accents, make it a fantastic representative of the City’s motto – a proud heritage and a progressive future. ■

‘Andalusia would be nothing more than a crossroads if not for John G. Sherf.’

DREAM, Continued from Page 21

citizens and carried this community through the economic throes of the Great Depression, creating jobs, bringing opportunity and inspiring the hope of a brighter future.

Many of the now-prominent families in the community started out by sweeping floors in Scherf’s factories and rose through the ranks to accomplish their own American Dreams.

As Mayor Earl Johnson explained, “Andalusia would be nothing more than a little crossroads town if it weren’t for the works of John G. Scherf.”

And with the city’s recent acquisition of the Scherf mansion more than 60 years after his passing, the

roots of Scherf’s vision, his genius, his industry and leadership should once again nourish the souls of the community he loved.

In October, the City of Andalusia finalized the purchase of the estate from local radiologist Dr. Charles Tomberlin, who owned and resided at the property with his family since 1981.

Built around 1935, Scherf’s mansion is known as “Springdale Estate,” so-named because of the fresh water spring where locals used to go to do their laundry.

Scherf commissioned the building of this estate in the early 1930s, a mere decade or so after immigrating to this land of opportunity.

The home’s Old World Germanic influences remind its visitors of a bygone era in home construction when the craftsman’s skills were valued in the days before the bigbox store with factory-made crown molding, trim, handrails and prehung doors and windows. In those days, if you needed a door, you had build it from scratch.

“This architectural and historical masterpiece was purchased in perfect working condition. Dr. Tomberlin took excellent care of this property. The City acquired it in perfect working condition. No repairs are needed. Everything is perfect,” Mayor Johnson said.

Johnson described some of the city’s plans for the property.

“Since it connects to the Veteran’s Memorial Park and to City Hall, we are planning to make the front entry gate of the estate an entrance only, for safety reasons, and clear out some of the kudzu in the back and connect it with a parking lot” on the acre-and-a-half commercial lot also included in the property acquisition.

Johnson foresees the property’s use to include as a day use park with trails and picnic areas, as a destination for weddings, receptions and parties, for industrial and business recruitment, for Easter egg hunts, holiday parties, arts and craft shows, open house events showcasing local decorators’ skills, See DREAM page 25

The dining room is reflected in a mirror in the entrance hall (top). Each bedroom features a unique fireplace, like the detailed wood and marble one shown here.

24 south alabama living

Springdale’s entrance hall features solid bronze front doors (left) and opens (right) into a private courtyard.

so, what’s it like to live here? hen the City of Andalusia purchased the historic Springdale Estate, it was in mint condition.

But it wasn’t always so.

Dr, Charles Tomberlin said that when he bought the property (circa 1981), it had a terrible bat infestation.

“There were over 10,000 bats we had to get rid of when we bought it. The manure smelled so bad, I think that’s why none of the (Scherf) kids wanted the house,” he said.

Tomberlin also modernized the kitchen, where bright yellow and cobalt blue tiles add a playfulness to balance the weight of the rich cherry cabinets.

The old coal stove also replaced with dual down draft ranges, and the original kitchen windows were replaced and expanded.

“They were tiny windows because they didn’t care anything about the servants being able to look outside,” Tomberlin explained.

“I rearranged the tiles in the kitchen and added one new light fixture in the breakfast area so there would be enough light to see by. The other light fixtures are original, though some have been moved to different locations,” Tomberlin said.

Another improvement he made to the estate during his stewardship was digging out the ponds on the grounds and putting a

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concrete floor in one. He said he then had to haul dirt in “because the catfish were scratching their bellies when they tried to bed up in concrete when what they needed was mud.”

“It also has an artesian well – several actually. There are artesian wells under the drain ditch. If you look closely you can see at least one of each side where the water bubbles up,” Tomberlin explained.

One of the most interesting features of the estate is its meat cellar that is built into the side of an over six-foot-tall landscape berm. A silver door with small screened window opens to steps that lead down into a prep room, followed by a walk-in refrigerated area with meat hooks and then into a large walk-in freezer – all currently in perfect working condition. The original butcher block was reclaimed from the home’s meat cellar and is now a focal point in the kitchen.

Tomberlin said he also updated the meat locker with modern refrigeration. “It can hold 200 pounds of shrimp and two or three cows. I used to use it when all the kids were home.”

As Dr. Tomberlin prepares for retirement, he and Mary Margaret are downsizing and have moved to the home he built for his mother on the family farm near Opp. Mary Margaret Tomberlin said what she will miss the most about living in the estate

was first, the fine appointments and interior detail of the home, and second, the softly swaying 8-foot lily pads in the pond on the grounds.

Her husband said he, too, will miss the grounds. But he’ll also miss the shower.

“At the farm, I don’t have four shower heads, nor do I have the water pressure I had in Andalusia,” “You have to get used to it (the four shower heads). At first you feel like you’re going to drown,” he laughed.

Tomberlin said his purchasing the estate was provential. “The Lord really looked to me in purchasing that house. It was a prayer come true for me to own it. I would always tell my mom on the drive through Andalusia to the orthordontist in Pensacola that someday I’d be a doctor, and I’d buy that house.”

One might think that being burdened with the upkeep of a mansion, between the removal of 10,000 bats and their manure, replacing the roof on the main house, guest house, pump house and garage, the constant upkeep and repair of the iron fence, and having painted the home several times during his 29 years of ownership, would have diminished the romance of this American dream.

And yet, when asked what he would miss the least, Tomberlin replied, “Well, nothing.

I love it.” ■

about john g. scherf, sr.

John G. Scherf, Sr., was born on May 8, 1884, in Siegmar, Germany. He immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 19, disembarking in New York City. He brought to America his background and education in civil engineering and law, his knowledge of seven languages and a pursuit of the American Dream. He landed a job in Atlanta working for the Georgia Board of Trade and later moved to Concordia, Kansas, where he worked with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Circa 1920, he moved to Andalusia to serve as the executive secretary of the local Chamber of Commerce.

The chandelier in the entrance hall (left) has been valued at $35,000. It’s unusual amber glass adds to its value. The coat of arms if found in details throughout the house, like in the chandelier gracing the second-floor mezzanine, right.

DREAM, Continued from Page 23

and for use as a conference center for small businesses and strategic planning retreats.

To facilitate those events, the 903 sq. ft., four-car garage will be converted to a working prep kitchen, leaving the kitchen in the main house for service only.

The city plans to raise capital for a trust-supported foundation for the eventual purchase of the estate from the city, thereby relieving taxpayers of any burden. The city will be responsible for property maintenance, and city officials will manage the affairs of the estate and be answerable to the citizens of Andalusia.

Johnson said the city’s purpose in purchasing the property was to save an important piece of its heritage.

With the property zoned commercial and with offers on the table from developers, Johnson made a bold move in acquiring the estate.

He explained that with the commercial zoning and the number of properties in the downtown that are in ruins, it would have “been a sin” to let the estate fall into the hands of

developers who may have converted the house into office buildings and paved the front yard for a parking lot… or even worse, “done nothing and let the estate fall into shambles.”

Johnson, a bold leader and visionary much like Scherf, focuses a great deal of effort in business and industrial recruitment and is responsible for bringing hundreds of new jobs to the area. He said he is excited for local business owners to be able to borrow on the community’s dowry when courting clients and businesses from out of the area when using the estate for business recruitment.

The Tomberlins left as a donation numerous furniture pieces including a grandfather clock, baby grand piano, master bedroom suite, several armoires, a dining room table and chairs, and a grand gold framed mirror that stands over a matching gold accented white marble bench in the entry foyer (a gift from Mary Margaret Tomberlin’s mother), several upholstered chairs and a grand Oriental-style rug. ■

Alatex & Arrow Shirts Scherf studied the textile industry when he lived in South and North Carolina. In 1923, he and several investors organized the Alabama Textile Products Corporation, commonly known as Alatex. This plant, located on River Falls Street, was the heart of John G. Scherf Industries. The business grew to employ more than 3,500 people.

As demand increased, plant locations were added to include Andalusia, Brantley, Troy and Enterprise, Ala., and Crestview and Panama City, Fla. In 1968 the company was bought by Cluett, Peabody & Co, which was later purchased by West Point and Pepperrell.

Beautification Among his many projects during his 16 years as mayor of Andalusia, Scherf spearheaded beautification and city cleanliness.

During his tenure, many city streets were paved, and money was invested in education and in the public library.

Other Business & Finance Prior to Scherf’s 16-year service as mayor (from 1932 – 1948), the city was broke.

With his panache for finance and bold leadership, he got the city out of debt and raised its surplus to $748,652 (and this was during the Great Depression).

He instituted an official tax collection system and modern bookkeeping; and he balanced the budget. He formed city-owned utility services, established the City Planning Commission and Recreation Board, the first municipal cemetery, and a new city hall.

Scherf served as president of and helped create the First Federal Savings & Loan which was set up to encourage citizens to save money which in turn allowed the bank to make loans to local citizens for building their own homes.

south alabama living

fearless flowers Former Andalusian DeJuan Stroud is the go-to guy for event-planning in New York.

Recently, he shared his tips.

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Designer uses simple elements for gala events e’s staged countless afterparties for movie premieres, elaborate weddings, numerous bah mitzvahs, and even an intimate dinner party for the president.

But DeJuan Stroud recently took the fear out of florals as a guest speaker for the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ annual fundraiser, Antiques in the Gardens.

Introduced as society’s “go-to event designer” in New York City, Stroud explained that his journey began in Greenville, brought him to Andalusia as a child, and took him to Wall Street, where he dealt with regulators, oversaw internal audits and negotiated lawsuits. At home in his New Jersey suburb, he arranged flowers for fun.

“Anything to relax and unwind,”

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story by michele gerlach PHOTO BY ROGER DONG

See STROUD page 28

28 south alabama living

1

DeJuan Stroud (above) with his mother, Jerri Stroud of Andalusia. (1) Stroud loves the Satellite vases by Roost because they make arrangements “dummy-proof’“ and they disappear. (2) The “disappearing vacses” were used in table settings, here.

2 PHOTO BY ROGER DONG

Debra Merrill Stroud (second from left) had lots of support from family when her husband spoke at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in October. Shown with her are (from left) her sisters, Helen Merrill McIntrye and Salle Merrill Redfield, her mother-in-law, Jerri Stroud, and her mother, Lulu Richardson.

STROUD, Continued from Page 27

he said of those years. “Through a series of things that happened on Wall Street and with the help and support of my wife Debra (nee Merrill), whom I met in the sixth grade in Mrs. Radford’s language arts class, here we are.”

Stroud said he’s learned that the hobby that helped him relax and unwind is the most stressful part of entertaining for some. He demonstrated five “simple” arrangements, then showed photographs of events in which the same concepts were used to create floral arrangements. Shown in context, “simple,” is not a word that would be used to describe them!

Stroud said he loves some of the new “foolproof” connected vases on the market these days. For one arrangement, he chose a vase of five tubes connected in a square and chose two flowers from the same color palette – yellow calla lilies and Oncidium orchids.

“The arrangement is simple and clean and the vases start dissolving,”

he said.

With a similar vase, he combined white lysianthas, white roses, and spearmint. The scents of the roses and spearmint complement each other.

A frequent challenge in designing table appointments for events is keeping the flowers low enough for guests to talk over them, he said.

Choosing a low bowl five to six inches high, Stroud demonstrated a method in which he builds an arrangement with several small bouquets.

“I prefer not to use oasis,” he said, adding that flowers last longer when cut with a sharp knife and placed directly in water.

As he tied the small bouquets with raffia, he placed them on the outer edges of the bowl.

“As you make the posies, the stems begin to interlock and hold together,” he explained. The center posies can then stand in the base created by the stems. A clever hostess can wrap the small posies with tissue and send them home with guests.

“We did this style of arrangement with Mayor Bloomberg’s daughter’s wedding, which had a Morrocan theme,” he said. “The arrangements were from Thai posies, and we had staff on hand to pass them out as the guests left.”

Stroud often repurposes flowers and other elements of his events. There are several non-profit groups that rearrange flowers and deliver them to nursing home residents, he said. He also has begun to donate items to a theater group.

“We might use two to three thousand yards of fabric for an event,” he said.

“We store everything we can use or repurpose, and are grateful to work with organizations that can use what we don’t.”

Stroud also put together what he called a “wild and wooly” arrangement of greenery cut from yards and gardens in Birmingham.

Stroud is currently at work on a book on transforming spaces, a guide to entertaining. ■

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Husband-wife team started star-studded business

in the basement hen DeJuan Stroud staged the after-party for the premiere of “It’s Complicated,” he rented all of the steel commercial kitchen tables he could

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find.

As guests walked from New York City’s Ziegfield Theatre and entered the Museum of Modern Art, chefs worked at the tables, frosting cakes and making pies, in a scene reminiscent of Meryl Streep’s catering kitchen in the movie that also starred Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

This season, his company created a whimsical setting for the second-season premiere of HBO’s Bored to Death.

Earlier this month, he put together a private dinner in a New York home billed as a “conversation with the president.” Now, he’s designing the premiere for “The Little Fockers,” Universal’s sequel to “Meet the Fockers,” due out in December.

It’s a long way from Andalusia, Ala., where Stroud grew up watching his mother, Jerri Stroud, arrange flowers, and where his first job “in the biz” was delivering flowers on Valentine’s Day for Alan Cotton.

We asked DeJuan and his wife, Debra, about the business that began as a hobby when they worked out of the basement of their New Jersey To accommodate clients’ home. requests to keep table SAL: Describe when you arrangements low enough to talk over, Stroud often brings first knew that you could florals into the setting from make a living at your hobby.

DeJuan: This sounds really the ceiling.

PHOTO BY PETER PECK

naïve, but once Debra and I decided to do the business full time, I never doubted that we could make a living at it. I had full confidence in my work ethic and in my design skills. Still, the first couple of years were pretty hard.

SAL: Could you describe an event you created when you first thought, "OK, we've made it."

DeJuan: New York City is such a tough market, and the competition is so stiff that I don’t know if there will ever be an “OK, we’ve made it” moment. But, there have been some great highlights, times when I felt really good about

Stroud said the challenge for designers in New York City is to make the same venues look different. He likes to use lighting to change the colors of walls and the style of flooring.

PHOTO BY TERRY GRUBER

the business: 1. Pinning on Robert DeNiro’s boutonniere when he married Grace Hightower. 2. Going to Morocco to buy (and have made) furnishings for Mayor Bloom-berg’s daughter’s wedding. 3. The time that Aretha Franklin was rehearsing while we set up for an event, and she started to sing about how beautiful the flowers were.

SAL: Debra, How would you describe your role in the business?

Debra: I run the business, price out DeJuan’s designs, oversee the proposals, oversee the staff in our Tribeca studio, in our Brooklyn warehouse and in our New Jersey business office. That’s my official role. My unofficial role is being a perfectionist - checking and double checking that all jobs are perfect and exceed the clients’ expectations.

SAL: Tell us about your children.

Debra: Rob, 26, earned his degree in English at the University of Iowa. He lives in New York City and helps me run the business. Molly, 25, is a talented floral designer. She lives in London now, and is getting her master’s degree in contemporary art at Sothebys. Emily, 23, got her degree in communications at Virginia Tech. She lives in NYC and works on the operations side of the vibrant restaurant group owned by Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield. George, 19, went to high school in New York City and is taking a gap year before going to college. He is the drummer for Starscream, an 8-bit band, and is having a great year. ■

getting her wings unter Albritton’s plans for this past summer began 11 years ago, when she was a little girl whose family hosted a German exchange student for a semester.

Through the years, Tom, Amanda, Hunter and James Albritton have remained close to Sandra Kather, talking regularly and visiting in the states and at Sandra’s parents’ home.

This past summer, the story came full circle when Hunter spent her summer studying in Germany, living with Sandra and her parents, Barbara and Heinz, outside of Aachen, Germany’s westernmost city, located on the Belgium border. For several weeks, she was enrolled in the same Catholic high school her longtime friend had attended.

In many ways, Hunter said, the summer was no different than most – she was away from home, making new friends, and learning new things. Only this time, there was a language barrier, and the academics were much more rigorous.

Hunter had just finished her sophomore year at Andalusia High School, where she’d completed German I and II through the state’s distance learning program. She studied German via computer.

“It takes a lot of motivation,” she said. “There’s not a teacher behind you. You’ve got to focus yourself, which can be pretty difficult.”

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See WINGS page 32

story by michele gerlach • courtesy photos

32 south alabama living

Hunter Albritton (from left) enjoying World Cup Soccer in Germany, with friends, and in class.

WINGS, Continued from Page 31

Instead, the teacher is at a school somewhere else in the state. For verbal assignments, students speak into a microphone and the teacher determines if their pronunciation is correct.

The focus, understandably, is on grammar.

“We hadn’t done a whole lot of conversational work, which Having long been interested made speaking it diffiin all things cult,” green, Hunter Hunter said.

In said it was great Germany, to be in a counshe was try of people placed in a who are so “envi- junior-year ronmentally class and enrolled in aware.”

English, German, French, chemistry, biology, art, music and calculus. French wasn’t new to her, as she’d completed French I and II in her freshman year.

In Germany, her music class was music composition.

“The lady spoke great English,” Hunter recalled. “I explained to her that I’d never done composition.

When she found out I played trombone, she got one and told me ‘You can play everyone else’s compositions.’ ” While German culture is very simi-

lar to American, Hunter said food was a challenge. The Germans eat two large meals a day.

“I had to get used to always feeling stuffed or hungry,” she laughed.

“The food was great,” she said, adding that her favorites were bratwurst, a sausage usually composed of veal, pork or beef, and weiner schnitzel, boneless pieces of veal thinned with a mallet, coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

She made friends easily, and enjoyed attending events and joining a running club with her classmates.

Public transportation gives teens lots of freedom, and it was typical to go into Aachen, population 300,000, for movies and eating out.

She also traveled with her host family, visiting Zurich, Switzerland, where she went paragliding over the Alps; a castle in the Netherlands; and museums in Berlin, Cologne and Bann.

She also learned a lot about World Cup Soccer.

“Germany finished like No. 3,” she said. “Everybody was very excited.

One of the repercussions of World War II is there is not a lot of pride, so they take a lot of pride in sports.”

There were public viewings in Aachen at which thousands gathered to watch World Cup Soccer on the big screen.

“Afterward, if they won, there

would be a big party in the middle of the city,” she said.

Having long been interested in all things green, Hunter said it was great to be in a country of people who are so “environmentally aware.”

“It’s great,” she said. “They recycle everything – paper, bottles, plastics.”

Hunter said she’d advise anyone considering an exchange student experience to know the language and customs.

“Other than that, just do it,” she said.

Back in her junior year in the States, she’s in the midst of a really busy school year, but keeps up with her German friends as much as possible.

“We talk on Facebook. It’s fun.

Facebook is a great tool,” she said.

She’s immersed in German III, which she describes as “difficult, but much easier with the knowledge I’ve gained.”

She’s a member of the band, “the sunshine of my life,” Literary Club, Usher Club, Key Club and Anchor Club. Next semester, she’ll be on the tennis team. Next year, she plans to take Spanish I and II, and to graduate with seven foreign language credits.

“I plan to travel a lot, and expect to use Spanish in my career,” she said. “I plan to be a lawyer, so Spanish is my main goal for languages.” ■

searching for the elusive

story and photos by stephanie nelson

In the quiet of the Conecuh, it’s easy to believe he fall breeze is just strong enough to stir the leaves along the roadside into the Conecuh National Forest, and there is a glimpse of the neon whites of hikers.

Without warning, a heavy black mass streaks across the road.

Could it be?

Dennis Bauer believes it’s possible. **** Bauer is quiet as he sits amidst the greenery, pausing before he begins his tale of fascination and curiosity, as if to gauge the willingness of his audience.

“There are stories, of course, of sightings, throughout Covington County,” Bauer said. “In 1954, a woman saw one on Covington 77 behind a hog-wire fence, arms down to its knees; dirty, dishwater blond hair. It stepped over a fence toward the road, cleared a gully in one step and crossed behind the car.

“Beginning in 1981, a local family reported a long history of sightings,” he

T

“The thing about bigfoots is that sightings are chance encounters between inattentive bigfoots and the people who are in their native habitat.” said. “The 17-year-old who was babysitting for a 3-year-old boy in the trailer across the street. The boy said he once came out of the bedroom saying, ‘The hairy man was looking in his window again.’ When the babysitter went out, there was nothing there. Later the boy’s father said the child often mentioned it but he himself never saw anything.

“The boy’s mother once called other family members all frantic saying, ‘Those damn things are pounding on the walls again,’ and that she had seen one run through the yard fast.

“So, do I believe in Bigfoots?

Absolutely. There’s too many stories to discount,” he said.

Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, has been referenced in countless cultures for more than 12,000 years.

Known to North American Indians as “Chiye-tanka” or “Big Man,” the creature is described as a large, hairy, apelike creature with facial similarities to a human, bipedal, unusually strong, skittish and nocturnal by nature.

Throughout history, stories of Bigfoot’s existence have evolved from Native American lore to blog entries on countless Web sites, including Bauer’s, www.lawnflowersjerkandbigfoots.com.

From there, he welcomes e-mails of eyewitness reports.

Whatever one’s opinion – hoax, folklore or just plain craziness – there are those who believe in the creature’s existence, and Bauer is one of them.

A graduate of Penn State and a Pennsylvania native, Bauer holds a See BAUER page 35

south alabama living BAUER, Continued from Page 34

bachelor’s degree in agriculture. At 26, he moved to Hawaii and later to northern Idaho. When he grew tired of the “miniIce Ages,” he and his wife, Patricia Spanedda, decided to move south. After much research and because of its proximity to the Conecuh National Forest, the couple chose Andalusia. For the last seven years, Bauer has worked at Sitel, the out-bound customer call center in Sanford.

“I get a lot of strange looks when I tell people where I work,” he said. “I expect every day to be an education. When we moved here, I needed a job. Sitel was hiring. I didn’t know a lot about computers and wanted to learn more. There was an opportunity to do that and get paid for it at the same time.”

Those hours sitting behind a desk and in front of a computer screen allow Bauer an opportunity to devote his off-time to doing the things he loves the most – walking in nature, taking in the wildflowers and scanning the horizon for Bigfoot.

“When I was a kid, adults would warn us to not be out after dark because the ‘boogeyman’ would catch us and haul us off,” he said. “Their description of the boogeyman was very similar to the description of bigfoots that I read in my school’s library books. Then, I saw the famous PattersonGimlin film clip of a female bigfoot, and I was hooked.”

Through the years, Bauer has collected stories of encounters, an assortment of video clippings and all things Bigfoot – all of which are compiled for easy viewing on his Web site.

Even the licenses plates on his SUV, tells of his passion – “Bigfoot Research” it reads on the front.

“Most of the time when people start talking about Bigfoot and sightings, they get made fun of and are laughed at,” he said. “I feel for their plight.

“I have never seen a Bigfoot – and there’s not just one Bigfoot, there are whole populations of them – but I have spoken to quite a few people who have seen one or more bigfoots, some in north Idaho, but most here in south Alabama,” he said. “The first local report was given to me secondhand and told of two men driving home from work around 2:30 in the morning on a dirt road somewhere outside of Red Level.

The Bigfoot walked out in front of them. They stopped quickly. It looked at them, then returned into the woods.”

And contrary to what people may think, Bauer doesn’t don his camouflage – even though it’s specially designed for Bigfoot research – to specifically hunt for the elusive creature. Instead, his afternoons are spent watching wildlife in general, hiking or driving.

“The thing about bigfoots is that sightings are chance encounters between inattentive bigfoots and the people who are in their native habitat,” he said. “And I’m convinced, primarily by the many firsthand and secondhand sighting reports given to me by people living in Covington County, that this whole area is home to many different Bigfoot families.” ■

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index to advertisers Andalusia Ballet.....................................9 Andalusia Ford.....................................14 Andalusia Manor ...................................4 Andalusia Regional Hospital .............3 Andalusia Regional Hospital ..........30 Ansley Place.........................................16 CCB Community Bank........................7 City of Andalusia ...................................2 Covington Casket ...............................36 Covington Electric Cooperative........6 Covington Metals ...............................40 David Darby .........................................10 Harold’s..................................................18 J.M. Jackson .........................................39

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38 south alabama living

scrapbook

remembering

puddin’ powell story and photo by Bob Brooks

Who, upon lighting a lantern, would hide it under a basket? No, you would put it on a hill for all to see.

Puddin’ Powell was a light. The reflection of his smile still brings out the child in me 40 years later .

Born Charles Powell, Puddin’ worked as a janitor at Andalusia High School ‘til he got fired for helping some white boys hide their whiskey for the prom. When they spiked that punch, it sure made

J.A.W. mad. They had to let Puddin’ go.

Most of the time, he wore TufNut coveralls he bought from Mr. Graham Dunn at the Covington Stores (now the Murphy law office). Sometimes Puddin’ would dress up and help Mr. Toddy with a funeral at Marshall Funeral Chapel. Georgia Marshall, the owner, was Puddin’s sister.

Puddin’ loved to work Monday through Friday. But Lord, he loved

to play on Saturday. With a pint of Red Dagger wine, he could play the spoons all afternoon, a skill he learned on a trip to Miami.

Puddin’ was a true Southern gentleman who just seemed to dance through life – a light on a hill. And this was his poem: ‘Bama born ‘Bama bread When I die, I’ll be ‘Bama dead.

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318 Montgomery St. Andalusia AL